By Tzvi Zucker
Atef Abu Al-Rub, a field researcher at Israeli Human rights NGO B’Tselem, made headlines in Israel when Israeli journalist Tuvia Tenenbom released video evidence of Al-Rub denying the Holocaust. Tenenbom interviewed Al-Rub as part of the research for his new book, “Catch the Jew.”
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B’Tselem’s mission, as stated on its website, is “to change Israeli policy in the Occupied Territories and ensure that its government, which rules the Occupied Territories, protects the human rights of residents there and complies with its obligations under international law.”
At first, B’Tselem argued that Tenenbom’s account was not an accurate representation of the facts, and that Al-Rub “categorically denies the accusations and states that it is a falsehood and a misrepresentation of the interaction, designed to damage B’Tselem.”
However, on Sunday, B’Tselem released a statement on their Hebrew Facebook page, acknowledging that the video clearly shows Al-Rub denying the Holocaust ever happened.
“B’Tselem is careful in maintaining the reliability and accuracy of its work and publications. Therefore, we promise to hold inquiry as soon as possible into the incident and we will publish the decision as soon as it is made, ” according to the B’Tselem statement.
Al-Rub alleged in 2007 that the IDF was using human shields in Jenin. In 2009, he claimed to have heard that the IDF was firing on fleeing civilians in Gaza during Operation Cast Lead.
